Various devices are known for rehabilitation/exercise of thumbs and hands. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,2616,259 to Bendix, Jr. teaches an exerciser for the thumb and grip with internal helical compression springs providing the resistance mechanism. SU 1985-10 and SU 1986-12 teach spring loaded devices for exercise of the hands and/or thumb. North Coast Medical offers a thumb exerciser sold under the trade name Thumbciser.TM. for thumb strengthening that includes a outer member including a through bore, and inner member extending through the bore and a rubber band(s) extending around the end of the inner member and secured to the outer member. Pressing on the inner member with the thumb stretches the rubber band(s) in the North Coast device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,778 to Van Noord teaches a Portable Exercising Apparatus With A Force Gauge. As best seen in FIG. 4 of Van Noord, the resistance mechanism is provided by an o-ring 116 which is slidably mounted around the inner tube 12 and which rides up a ramped or conical surface 114 of an annular brake mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,205 to Bankston teaches a "Hand Exercising And Frictional Resistant-Type Exercising Device" having, as best seen in FIG. 4, a plastic outer tube 114 rotatably moveable on a slightly smaller diameter inner tube 111 having a coating 113 thereon.
These prior art exercise devices have general deficiencies in performance, complexity, and/or lack of adjustability. For example, the spring rate of some of the devices (ex. Bendix, Jr., SU 1986-12 and North Coast Medical devices) provide performance that gets progressively stiffer as the user compresses the spring with their thumb. Accordingly, there has been a long felt and unmet need for a simple and cost effective resistance device, such as for use in exercise of thumbs, hands, and the like which provides constant resistance and which may include an adjustability feature.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present devices and methods. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.